Local Interstellar Cloud

The Local Interstellar Cloud, sometimes called Local flake, is a cloud of interstellar matter, which is currently being migrated from the sun and its system. It is located within the Local Bubble, a region of the Milky Way with little interstellar mass.

Properties

The cloud has a diameter of nearly 30 light-years (compared to the diameter of the Milky Way about 100,000 light years, diameter of the Local Bubble in the Galactic plane at least 300 light years ). In the local cloud located at varying particle density average of 0.26 atoms per cubic centimeter. The temperature of the cloud is about 6000 Kelvin, a little hotter than the surface of the sun.

The sun in the Local flake

The solar system passes through the Local flake for about 100,000 years and will likely leave in 10,000 to 20,000 years. Due to their magnetic field and the solar wind, the sun creates a heliosphere with which it shields the impact of the Local flake.

Other stars in the Local flake

Besides the sun, with its system five more sun nearby stars are surrounded by the cloud:

• Altair ( in the constellation Aquila )
• Vega ( in Lyra )
• Arcturus ( in Bootes )
• Fomalhaut ( the Southern Fish ) and
• Alpha Centauri ( the centaur ).

Movement

The cloud is currently away from a large group of stars, the Scorpius - Centaurus association.